Austria: Muslims Outnumber Catholics in Vienna Schools

Austria is also in the process of introducing new taxpayer-funded textbooks for the formal teaching if Islam in all public elementary schools across the country.... This is the first time Islam is being taught to Austrian students in the German language.

"What remains, then, is to conquer Rome. This means Islam will come back to Europe for a third time, after it was expelled from it twice. We will conquer Europe! We will conquer America! Not through the sword but through our Dawa [proselytizing]." — Yusuf al-Qaradawi, Muslim Brotherhood

Muslim students, according to new statistics, now outnumber Roman Catholic students at middle and secondary schools in Vienna, the capital and largest city of Austria.

The data—which show that Muslim students are also on the verge of overtaking Catholics in Viennese elementary schools—reflect an established trend and provide empirical evidence of a massive demographic and religious shift underway in Austria, traditionally a Roman Catholic country.

The Muslim population in Austria now exceeds 500,000 (or roughly 6% of the total population), up from an estimated 150,000 (or 2%) in 1990. The Muslim population is expected to reach 800,000 (or 9.5%) by 2030, according to recent estimates.

In the current school year, 10,734 Muslim students are enrolled in Viennese middle and secondary schools, compared to 8,632 Roman Catholic students, 4,259 Serbian Orthodox students and 3,219 students with "no religious persuasion," according to statistics compiled by the Vienna Board of Education (Stadtschulrat für Wien) and published by Radio Vatican website on March 21.

As far as elementary schools are concerned, there are 23,807 Roman Catholic students, followed by 17,913 Muslim students, 11,119 "non-religious" students, 6,083 Serbian Orthodox students and 2,322 Protestants.

The statistics show that the only Viennese schools where Muslims remain a distinct minority are in the gymnasium, advanced secondary schools that place a strong emphasis on academic learning rather than on vocational skills. Students graduating from a gymnasium are more likely than others to be admitted to attend university in Austria.

Austria is also in the process of introducing new taxpayer-funded textbooks for the formal teaching of Islam in all public elementary schools across the country.

The textbooks are called "Islam Hour" (Islamstunde) and have been prepared by the Islamic Religious Authority of Austria (Islamische Glaubensgemeinschaft in Österreich, IGGiÖ), a Muslim umbrella organization whose main responsibility is the state-funded supply of Islamic religious education at Austrian public and private schools.

According to the IGGiÖ, the new textbooks are based on "secure and recognized sources of Islam" aimed at "embedding Islam into the lives of students." Unlike previous versions of the books, which were criticized for being "overly martial in tone" and for not being "sufficiently oriented toward European values," the new books have been developed based a "completely new didactic model for competency-based education."

Among other Islamic doctrines, the book taught students that Islamic Sharia law takes precedence over secular laws, that women have fewer rights than men, and that those who abandoned Islam are to be put to death.

The book was eventually banned from Austrian schools (although it is still being openly promoted on the website of the Vienna Islamic Centre, the largest mosque in Austria) after Al-Qaradawi[1] — a spiritual advisor for the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas — began publicly endorsing suicide attacks against Jews as "martyrdom in the name of Allah."

The Vienna Islamic Centre.

The new textbooks come in four volumes along with a companion CD that includes not only recitations of the Koran, but also a rap song which deals with the aspects of Ramadan.

In an interview with the Austrian newspaper Heute, an IGGiÖ project manager named Amena Shakir said the aim of the new textbooks is to "learn about how the Koranic suras [chapters] can be applied to everyday life." Shakir added that this is the first time Islam is being taught to Austrian students in the German language and that the textbooks contextualize Islam in the Austrian countryside rather than in Arabia.

"We want our young people in Austria have a sense of home," said the president of IGGiÖ, Fuat Sanac. "We have tried for years to bring these books into being."

Sanac also called on the Austrian government to approve and promulgate a new "Islam Law" that would provide Muslims with more legal rights and protections than they enjoy in the current law, which dates back to 1912.

The original law was adopted to help integrate Muslim soldiers from Bosnia-Herzegovina into the Austro-Hungarian army of the Habsburg monarchy. The law recognized Islam as a religious community in Austria, and allowed Muslims to practice their religion in accordance with the laws of the state.

In an interview with Austrian Public Radio Ö1-Morgenjournal on March 21, the Minister for Integration and Foreign Affairs, Sebastian Kurz, said he would honor a campaign pledge to update the law, which would more clearly stipulate the rights and responsibilities of Muslims living in the country.

Kurz said Muslims would be expected to adhere to Austrian values (as yet undefined) and to acknowledge the primacy of Austrian law over Islamic Sharia law. That is to say, Muslims would be prohibited from citing Islamic law as legal justification for ignoring or disobeying Austrian civil laws, he said.

The new law would also clearly stipulate that Islam classes may not contradict or override Austria's civil educational system. In addition, Kurz said Islamic religious institutions in Austria should be financed exclusively from within Austria and that there should be more government scrutiny of funding obtained from abroad, presumably from Saudi Arabia and other oil rich Muslim countries.

At the same time, Muslims would obtain the legal right to operate their own cemeteries according to Islamic law. The law would also regulate the activities of Muslim clergy in hospitals, prisons and the army.

Kurz did not address Muslim demands for the official recognition of Islamic holidays (Muslim students are already entitled to two such holidays each year but Muslim workers are not) in Austria.

In addition, the Austrian government would actively promote the training of Muslim clergy (imams) within the Austrian university system (modeled on the Institute for Islamic Studies at the University of Vienna), with the aim of promoting a "European" Islam.

Kurz said he did not expect significant resistance to the initiative from other political parties in Austria. "We need a new law that clearly defines that there are rights and obligations for every individual in Austria," Kurz said. "It makes sense to have an orderly legal framework regarding Islam, a topic that often raises emotions. Austria needs a clear framework for Islam."

Soeren Kern is a Senior Fellow at the New York-basedGatestone Institute. He is also Senior Fellow for European Politics at the Madrid-based Grupo de Estudios Estratégicos / Strategic Studies Group. Follow him onFacebook and onTwitter.

[1] Al-Qaradawi speaks openly about the goals of Islam: "What remains, then, is to conquer Rome. (...) This means that Islam will come back to Europe for the third time, after it was expelled from it twice. (...) Conquest through Dawa [proselytizing] that is what we hope for. We will conquer Europe! We will conquer America! Not through the sword but through our Dawa."

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10 Reader Comments

Magdalena Huber, Austria • Apr 18, 2016 at 15:12

I remember my mother telling me about her 'Catholic Religious Instruction' in school, where all children not specifically flagged up as 'Evangelicals' or 'Turks' were assumed to be Catholic and forced to attend. It put her off Christianity for good, and it's quite possible that this is the reason for the sharp drop in the number of declared 'Catholics' now. The only way to know for sure is to stop the ludicrous and outdated practice of religious education in schools, which is now also threatening our cultural identity, and make all our schools vehemently secular as they are in most civilised countries today.

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Eric Price • Mar 27, 2014 at 07:41

At the Battle of Vienna in 1683 Austria kept out Islam, but in 2014 it is on their knees to them. Hidden is that in 2014 taxes have increased everywhere. This from health insurance to road tax; from 'pollution' tax on cars to numerous utilities such as water, electricity, etc. Monies are going to families with multiple kids and schooling, yet it is not the Austrians who benefit from these taxes. They are paying as they are producing less and less children, while the Muslims are producing at a vast rate. Noticeable is that whilst both parents are often out and about during the day, when at least one should be working, the Social Democratic government claims the valuable contribution they are making. Sham. The unemployment rate may be the lowest in the EU, but rising and rising as their term of 'employed' also means at schooling. A sham of Socialist lies.

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Ingrid • Mar 27, 2014 at 06:10

Austria and Europe have gone mad. The politicians of Europe have betrayed their people. The people will then have little choice to ignore them totally and take the fight for their culture and freedom into their own hands. I notice the usual mistake people make when they say 'outnumbering Catholics' as though this means something. Muslims in particular tend to say it. Is it not obvious that Catholics are only 1 sect of Christianity? They are backed up by millions and millions of other Christian sects and you can see it above in the number of Orthodox, Protestants, etc. Al-Qaradawi will never conquer Rome because if there is a move on it every Christian, Catholic or not, will rise up worldwide against the Muslims in their own country and then head to Rome to fight for it. Also he should know that Islam will be expelled for the 3rd time. Moving on the rights of women will bring out every latent 'Boadicea' the Inceni warrior queen of England in the hearts of every European/American, etc. woman and they will stand together with their men in the fight. Perhaps they may appear more like the Viking shield maidens, v savage. It will be necessary to protect and save our children. There will be no Dawa of sufficient size, but dream on. Once Christianity too thought like this, taking Christ to Africa, India and China for example, convinced it would win all away from their own religions and beliefs. Not likely. Try to change laws into intolerant and barbaric ones and you will taste the steel as they say. Likewise if you poison our cultures and lands with the 'never ending feud' (since Mohammed's death until now) and import constant shocking violence which reduces your countries to some sort of huge mental ward from the famous mental hospital called Bedlam from 19th century. All we see of these delightful places of Islamic paradise daily on our screens is sheer unfettered violent madness and utter uncontrolled mayhem and it's normal life to the citizens. Bring that and you will taste annihilation worldwide. Why Al-Qaradawi even your fellow Muslims are attempting to cut you off at the pass. What was that pleasant news from Egypt? More than 500 of you condemned to death? With another few 100 expected to be added soon, wasn't it? Obviously they really know what you and your group are like and consider only one way to deal with the lot of you. Rid the earth of the disease, cut it out like an infected weeping sore. By the way your friend in the White House is on his last term and the new tenant in 2 years will be totally different. I have only just realised the real Obama isn't what I thought. He probably really is the Trojan horse in America.

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Frank Ingrid • Jan 19, 2015 at 22:11

I am so glad you can see the truth.I am an Austrian who lives in Australia. I worry about my land of birth greatly. The government has gone mad, the religious leaders are asleep and have been fooled and the people ( the majority) think it could never happen to them.But one day it will. One day many Austrians will run for their lives.A Kindergarten teacher from the small town of Rottenmann told me this story. She had to discipline a Muslim child, a Turkish boy. The 5 year old child told her this: "Just wait until we are in the majority, then we will cut all your heads off"And this is exactly what will happen one day in the future. Where will Austrian refugees run to for safety in the future ( in 20 years) time?) Their country will become far to dangerous to live in. One thing is for certain. Austrians have no future in Austria. If only they could wake up to the ugly fact now.

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Richard Valeri • Mar 27, 2014 at 06:05

You people, unfortunately, have screwed yourselves by allowing Islam to over-ride your laws. You must do something now to stop it, but at 6% it's too late maybe.

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Iftikhar Ahmad • Mar 26, 2014 at 11:44

Those state schools where Muslim children are in majority, in my opinion, all such schools, may be opted out as Muslim Academies. There is no place for a non-Muslim child or teacher in a Muslim school. Muslim children need Muslim teachers as role models during their developmental periods.IALondon School of Islamics Trust

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Sue Hickey • Mar 26, 2014 at 11:10

I'm wondering if the Muslim kids in Austria and Germany are being taught about the Holocaust and the extermination of millions of Jews. It is my understanding that more Muslims are being taught the contrary, and that the Holocaust didn't happen and that Hitler was a good leader. If they try to get on with that garbage, won't that be barred in Germany and Austria and that such Muslim teachings are hate crimes? As some have said in Britain, Muslim extremists are getting away with such teachings because of political correctness.

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A.T. Halmay • Mar 26, 2014 at 09:45

The parents of school children who will be given a pack of lies and proselytizing propaganda should band together and provide weekly independent sessions for the children as well as adults. In these sessions they should teach the history of Islam with all its warts and insanity. As a matter of fact, something of this order should be offered free to people of all ages in the entire free world. Far too many folks are totally ignorant of Islam and that gives the Muslims their greatest advantage. There is no need for adjectives or antagonistic speeches. The straight plain facts of Islam and Sharia Law will do it - distributing true knowledge would become the most effective weapon against Islamic expansionism.

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Bart Benschop • Mar 26, 2014 at 09:25

Dear Sir,

Before WWII the Austrians welcomed the Fascist doctrine, and after WWII they suffered the consequences. One would have thought that the Austrians would have learned. But no, they have welcomed the Muslim Fascist doctrine and it will not be long or is it maybe already that they are suffering the consequences.

Kind regards,

Bart Benschop

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Pongidae Rex • Mar 26, 2014 at 08:43

It is heartbreaking to watch helplessly as Europe, the greatest civilization in the history of the world, commits suicide. It really is hard to watch. They are destroying their civilization to adhere to a fad political doctrine of multiculturalism that does not have a single shred of historical or scientific evidence to support it. The voluminous evidence in history and psychobiology that directly contradicts the tenets of multiculturalism are shouted down as 'bigotry', just as contradictions to the notion of a flat earth were shouted down in a previous age as 'heresy'. Here the stakes are much, much higher. This is an epic tragedy, almost unimaginable in its consequences and future scope.

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